The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Basic Footwork ad Cuts Drills 2 Equipmet 16 chairs (or less) Persoel The etire team Basic Footwork ad Cuts Drills Two coaches How to Ru the Drill Five feet away from the right ad left sidelies, form a lie of eight chairs, each at the same distace from the other. Two groups of players are set outside the baselies, oe opposite the other, while two coaches stad i the middle of the court, with oe followig ad correctig oe group of players ad the other i charge of the secod group. At the commad of the coaches, the first player of each group starts to ru, at the begiig at a slow pace, ad the, whe the player masters the footwork, at 8 Footwork is the foudatio for a skilled basketball player, ivolvig moves that he will use tes of times durig a game. Cuts without the ball are oe of the most importat phases of the offesive game, because durig a game a player speds more tha three-quarters of his playig time o offese without the ball. I this chapter, we will show some basic footwork ad cuts drills. Do t uderestimate these two fudametals of the game, because may times they separate a higher speed. Whe the player reaches the first chair, he executes oe of the followig footwork moves, based o what the coach asked before the begiig of the drill, as show i Figure 2.1: Oe-cout stop Two-cout stop Chage of pace Chage of pace ad directio Spi 9 the good players from the great oes. Footwork Drills The player the repeats the same movemet whe he reaches the other chairs, edig the drill whe he gets to the opposite baselie. The secod player of each Two-Lie Chair Drill group starts the drill whe the teammate i frot of him reaches the mid-court lie. Each player repeats the drill o the other lie of chairs. The aim of the two-lie chair drill is to teach to the players how to master the five basic types of footwork without the ball. Details to Teach ad Uderlie It is importat to ote the words teach ad uderlie i the headig of this
The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Basic Footwork ad Cuts Drills paragraph. That is because a coach must first teach, but the he must also u- player lads o the floor first with oe, ad the with the other foot. derlie the details of a certai move or fudametal every time it is ot executed properly. The followig are the commo poits to teach ad, if ecessary, to uderlie o all four moves: Bed the kees o all the footwork moves i order to have good balace ad to move more quickly. Tell the player to go lower tha the height of the chair. Chage of Pace Correct a commo mistake made by may players: Tell them to make a couple of quiet ad ormal steps before chagig the pace at the last secod, whe they are ear each chair, ot short ad choppy oes. Whe they face a defeder, movig like this is like a phoe call to tell him: Hey, I am ow goig to make a chage of pace! 10 Follow these guidelies for each sigle move: Oe-Cout Stop Tell to the players ot to jump, but, istead, to bed their kees. If the player jumps, he will lose a split secod i air, while the must for each basketball fudametal is to make as few moves as possible, ad i the quickest way. O a chage of pace, the player must make a straight ad forward step ad go dow o oe leg, brigig the weight of the body o the forefoot of the forward leg, at the same time, takig a big, aggressive stride forward with the other leg, but without losig balace. To help his body move forward quickly, he must also help the move by quickly swigig his arms forward. After the chace of pace, tell the players to keep the same pace for a couple of steps, i order ot to give the defeder time to recover i a game situatio. 11 Players must lad o the floor with the heels first, ad the with the forefeet for brakig the forward movemet. Players must ot lea forward so they do t lose balace, ad their eyes must be positioed straight ahead, ot to the floor, because it is the head s positio that dictates the player s balace. The arms ad the hads must be flexed ad at the chest level, ready to receive the ball. Chage of Pace ad Directio Agai, esure that players make o choppy ad short steps before the chage of pace ad directio. While chagig directio, the player must make a straight, forward step, ot a lateral oe. He must also rotate the pivot foot i the ew directio, a importat detail that helps the whole body go forward, ot laterally, i order to cut with a crisp agle i the ext directio. The toes of the forward foot must be poited straight, ot laterally. If the player makes a lateral step ad the a chage of directio, he will be forced to make a loger stride to go i the ew directio. It meas coverig a loger distace, givig the defeder the chace to recover. Two-Cout Stop Tell to the players to pass very ear to the chair whe they chage directio. I Guidelies are the same as for the oe-cout this way, they will ot give the defeder the chace to recover i a game situatio. stop, with the oly differece beig that the FIGURE 2.1 The player, while passig ear the chair, should also have his arm opposite the
The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Basic Footwork ad Cuts Drills forward leg, bet at a 45-degree agle. The bet arm will protect the ball whe the player beats the defeder by dribblig i a game. Persoel The etire team A coach Spi The player must agai, as i the chage of pace ad directio, poit his forward How to Ru the Drill foot straight, ad ot laterally. Divide the team i two groups. Oe Tell the players to start to spi, puttig the forward leg ito the chair ad ot group is lied up off the court, alog away. I this way they will be able to block out the defeder i a game. ad behid the baselie, ad the other The player should pivot o the forefoot of the forward foot, ad, at the same oe is at the free-throw-lie extesio. time, bed his legs at chair level. The o-pivot foot must be poited toward the ew directio: If it is poited Each player i this latter group has a ball, which he holds with oe had at FIGURE 2.2 laterally, the body will go laterally. chest level. The players are paired. The coach stads behid the lie of players at The head should tur to the ew directio before the spi, to see all the court the baselie. The players at the baselie are positioed i the basic basketball posi- ad reverse back agai if the defeder recovers. tio, with their kees flexed, their feet parallel, ad their hads at chest level. 12 While spiig, the player should swig his arm hard ad pivot his leg i order to move his body more quickly i the ew directio. At the coach s commad, the group with the balls drops them to the floor, ad the other group of players at the baselie must catch the balls before they 13 The player must stay low for the movemet ad ot rise up o his legs at the bouce twice o the floor, as show i Figure 2.2. The, the players exchage middle of the spi. This will decrease the speed of the spi. their positios. First-Step Basic Drill The drill is repeated for a certai umbers of times. First, the players make the first step with the right foot for a certai umbers of times, ad the with We would like to put particular emphasis o the first-step drills, because may the left foot. times a coach does ot work o this small but extremely importat move that is basic for movig without the ball as well as with the ball. Details to Teach ad Uderlie The most commo mistake the players make is to step back with the same The first-step basic drill teaches how to take a strog, aggressive first step to beat foot, before they step forward. This is a waste of time ad moves. the defeder. Players eed to master this move util it becomes automatic, be- The players must drop forward with their body, at the same time, takig a cause it is absolutely basic for a basketball player. strog, aggressive step, with head up ad arms swigig forward, like ruers at the start of a 100-meter race. Equipmet The coach must stad behid the group of players at the baselie ad correct 5 balls them whe they make the extra step back before the first step.
The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Basic Footwork ad Cuts Drills First Step ad Dribble Drill The player must make a chage of pace o the dribble. The aim is the same as i the precedig drill, but with the ball. Drop-Step ad Drive Drill Equipmet The aim of this drill is to practice the first step with the back to the basket ad 5 chairs fiish with a layup. 5 balls Persoel Equipmet The etire team 4 balls A coach Persoel The etire team How to Ru the Drill The players are divided i five lies. They How to Ru the Drill stad out of the court, alog ad behid Divide the team ito four groups, two be- 14 the baselie, with a chair i frot of each FIGURE 2.3 hid the baselie, oe o the left, ad 15 lie ad oe ball o each chair. At the order of the coach, the first player i each lie makes a hard ad aggressive first step, sprits, turs aroud the chair, makes a oe o the right side of the half-court, with the other two groups, with two balls FIGURE 2.4 oe-cout stop frotig the basket, picks up the ball from the chair, ad makes a each, facig the baselie groups. At the strog, aggressive first dribble, goig over the chair with the first dribble, as show commad of the coach, the first players i the baselie groups ru, catch the balls i Figure 2.3. from their teammates, make a drop step, the take a aggressive first step ad After a couple of dribbles, the player the quickly brigs back the ball to the dribble to the basket, fiishig with a layup, as show i Figure 2.4. chair, ad the secod player i the lie starts the drill. First, the players make the first dribble with the right had for a certai umbers of times, ad the with the Variatio left had. The players start the drill from the mid-court lie ad execute the same patter, but ow frot the basket, ad make a differet dribble, such as a direct, a cross- Details to Teach ad Uderlie over, or a spi dribble (see Chapter 4, Dribblig Drills). O the first dribble, the ball must hit the floor hard, i frot ad lateral to the forward foot, i order to get back quickly ito the had of the player, with Cuts Drills the dribblig had pushed as much as possible ear the floor for better co- Players use cuts to get free ad receive the ball, either to go straight to the bas- trol of the ball. ket, play oe-o-oe, or start the offese. These moves are also used to get ope
The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Basic Footwork ad Cuts Drills usig a scree. Do ot assume that a player will make these cuts automatically, quested cut, receives the ball, ad makes a layup without dribblig, while the but practice these moves as you ormally practice ay other fudametal. For defeder simulates a certai defese (loose defese, overplay defese, etc.), mov- example, if you ru a passig or shootig drill, ask to the players to make a cer- ig slowly to facilitate the cut. After the shot, the shooter gets his ow reboud, tai cut before receivig the ball for a shot or before receivig a pass. I short, goes outside the lae, ad becomes the passer, while the passer becomes the iclude these cuts i ay possible drill. defeder, ad the defeder becomes the offesive player, util all three players Statio Drill The aim of the statio drill is to practice all four basic cuts. have performed the move. Oce all four groups ed the drill, they move clockwise to the followig spots for performig a differet move: A goes to the B area, B goes to the C area, ad D goes to the A area. Equipmet 4 balls Persoel The etire team The coach decides how may of the same moves a player must perform or how log the drill must be ru. Oce the players have mastered the cuts, the defeders will defed at 50 percet. The the fial step is to cover the offesive players at full speed ad game coditios. 16 How to Ru the Drill Divide the team i four groups of three players each, with each group workig i oe half of each half-court. Oe passer with the ball is at the top of the lae, ad oe offesive player ad oe defesive player are at the wig spot. Call each group with a letter, as show i Figure 2.5, ad practice the specific moves, followig this patter: Group A: Frot cut Group B: Backdoor cut Group C: V cut Group D: Reverse cut Details to Teach ad Uderlie O all four cuts, the offesive player must start to move i a quiet ad uassumig way, goig i the opposite directio of where he wats to cut. Tell the player to take oe or two ormal steps before the cut; he should ot phoe i his move to the defeder by makig short, choppig steps. Tell the players ot to watch the passer: this is aother alarm sigal to the defeder. Whe the player is ope ad ready to receive the ball, he must preset a target to the passer, that is, the had farther from the defeder. Whe the player makes a chage of directio, he must rotate the foot that pushes the body i the ew directio, poitig the toes i the ew directio, i order to go laterally ad ot straight. - Explai clearly to the players whe to use a certai cut: 17 - Frot cut: whe the defeder is below the offesive player The player starts the move, makes the re- FIGURE 2.5 - Backdoor cut: whe the defeder is higher ad aggressively overplayig
The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills Basic Footwork ad Cuts Drills - V cut: if the defeder does ot allow the offesive player to make a frot or Details to Teach ad Uderlie backdoor cut The ball hadler must dribble at game speed. - Reverse cut: if the defese stops the cut iside the lae The cutter must make a crisp ad agled cut, while also chagig the pace. The cutter must preset a clear target to the passer: the iside had. Variatio The passer must make a good, strog pass, hittig the target give The drill ca also be ru at differet agles of the half-court, for example, i the by the cutter. corers ad at the top of the lae. The cutter must ot shoot a facy layup, but istead use the backboard ad protect Four Lies Cuts Drill the ball with the body ad the other had. The rebouder must make a good outlet pass if the shot is missed, or make a The aim of the four lies cuts drill is to ivolve the etire team i a drill that re- quick iboud pass if the shot is made: agai, at speed ad game coditios. quires all the players to move i the half-court ad create a game situatio. Variatio Equipmet The coach ca add two defeders: oe o the ball hadler 1 ad oe o the cutter 18 3 balls 2. At the begiig, the defeders ca play defese at 50 percet, ad the play a 19 Persoel aggressive defese i game coditios. The etire team Two-o-Two Dribble ad Cut Drill How to Ru the Drill Four groups are set, as show i Figure The aim of the two-o-two dribble ad cut is to teach the players to quickly 2.6: oe at the top of the lae with the read the situatio o the court ad react with the proper cut to the movemet balls, two o the wigs, ad oe uder of the defese. the basket, outside the baselie. Player 1 starts to dribble ad the makes a re- FIGURE 2.6 Equipmet verse dribble or crossover dribble to the right side. As soo as 1 starts to dribble, 2 4 balls makes a backdoor cut (or a frot or reverse cut, as idicated by the coach), receives Persoel the ball from 1, ad makes a layup, with o dribble. Player 3 gets the ball ad The etire team passes it to 4. The players will rotate i this way: 2 goes to the ed of 3 lie, 3 goes to the ed How to Ru the Drill of 4 lie, ad 1 goes to the ed of 2 lie. Form groups of four players, two players o offese ad two o defese o both
The Complete Book of Offesive Basketball Drills 20 half-courts. At the begiig, the defese does ot play aggressively, but simulates a certai type of defesive move, to which the offesive players react with the proper cut. Player 1, i the middle of the court, starts to dribble toward the basket ad is guarded by X1, while 2 is o the right, i this case, wig spot, ad guarded by X2. Based o how X2 simulates the defese o 2, this player will cut i frot of X2, or make a backdoor cut or a V cut. Player 2 cuts, receives the ball, ad passes back to 1, who also made a cut (agai, frot, backdoor, or V cut) based o how X1 covers him, as show i Figures 2.7 ad 2.8. Oce 1 has received the ball back, he starts the drill agai. After a certai umbers of repetitios or a give time, the offesive players go o defese ad vice versa. FIGURE 2.7 FIGURE 2.8 Details to Teach ad Uderlie Tell the players to prepare the cut with oe or two steps beforehad. The timig is basic: the two players must time the cuts ad passig; it meas ot makig a cut before the ball hadler is ready to pass the ball. Variatio Oce the players have mastered the ability to read the defese ad use the proper cuts, the defese plays aggressively.